Fact & Spin

April 21, 2023: Deadly Yemen stampede, SpaceX rocket explosion, and record global temperatures

Facts & Spin for April 21, 2023 top stories: A deadly stampede in Yemen kills dozens, SpaceX's Starship rocket explodes minutes into its first test flight, the US House passes a federal ban on transgender athletes from women’s sports, a mysterious flash over Kyiv triggers speculation, a US watchdog warns that aid to Afghanistan may be going to the Taliban, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches his 2024 US presidential bid, scientists warn that El Niño could bring record global temperatures this year, UNICEF reports a drop in childhood vaccinations due to COVID lockdowns, F1 champion Michael Schumacher’s family threatens legal action over a fake AI interview, and scientists discover why hair turns gray.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
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April 20, 2023 top stories: India population spike, debt ceiling proposal, and NZ cat killing contest

Facts & Spin for April 20, 2023 top stories: India is about to become the world’s most populous country, a bipartisan group in the US House proposes a debt ceiling plan, Kim Jong Un orders the launch of a North Korean spy satellite, the US charges four Americans and three Russians in a “malign influence” campaign, Mitch McConnell says the GOP won’t help replace Dianne Feinstein on a key committee, British police arrest a French publisher,  Chinese-Australians report a drop in racist incidents, 64M Americans face daily spikes in harmful pollution, Netflix limits password sharing in the US, and a cat-killing contest for kids is axed in New Zealand. 
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April 19, 2023: India LGBTQ+ marriage, Dominion-Fox settlement and AI photography winner

Facts & Spin for April 19, 2023 top stories: India’s Supreme Court hears pleas to legalize LGBTQ+ marriages, Dominion settles with Fox News over its airing of vote-rigging claims, Putin visits troops in Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine, McCarthy calls for a 1% federal spending cap as a condition for raising the debt ceiling, a Kansas City man is charged with shooting a Black teen, UK PM Rishi Sunak faces an investigation over his wife's childcare firm, US officers responsible for Jayland Walker’s killing won't be charged, the US claims China began working on a COVID vaccine before the official outbreak, a new study says a male contraceptive pill could be available in five years, and the Sony World Photography winner turns down his prize after revealing he used AI.
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April 18, 2023: Sudan fighting, Alabama party shooting and airline crash acquittal

Facts & Spin for April 18, 2023 top stories: Clashes in Sudan continue for a third day, An Alabama birthday party shooting leaves four dead, The US says it killed an IS leader in northwest Syria, A French court acquits Air France and Airbus over the 2009 Rio-Paris crash, Iran issues prison sentences for the 2020 downing of a Ukrainian airliner, A Kremlin critic is jailed for 25 years, Ex-Chancellor Merkel is granted the highest German honor, SpaceX’s Starship launch is postponed, Trump’s campaign is revealed to have raised $34 million in early 2023, and 11 are killed by heatstroke at a government event in India.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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April 15, 2023 top stories: Yemen prisoner swap, French pension age approval and AI catastrophe fears

Facts & Spin for April 15, 2023 top stories: Yemen’s Houthis and Saudi Arabia exchange hundreds of prisoners, a French court clears Macron’s pension age rise, Florida Gov. DeSantis signs a six-week abortion ban, a survey finds 36% of researchers fear a “nuclear level” AI catastrophe, Ukraine bans athletes from competing against Russia and Belarus, the Women's Tennis Association ends its boycott of China, Japan approves a plan to open the nations’ first casino, Trump is deposed in a New York civil suit, the European space agency launches a mission to Jupiter's icy moons, and over 18,000 cows are killed in a Texas dairy farm explosion.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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April 14, 2023: Doc leak suspect arrest, preserved mifepristone access and Ghana malaria vaccine

Facts & Spin for April 14, 2023 top stories: The US arrests a suspect in connection to the leaking of secret documents, A US court preserves limited access to abortion pill mifepristone amid an ongoing legal battle, Iran is accused of using the death penalty to instill fear following a 75% surge in executions, North Korea fires a possible ‘new type’ of ballistic missile, Syria’s foreign minister visits Saudi Arabia for the first time since 2011, US inflation eases to 5%, its lowest since 2021, A spokesperson alleges Putin critic Navalny may be being slowly poisoned in jail, Trump sues his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen, Biden proposes tighter privacy rules around abortions, and Ghana becomes the first country to approve Oxford’s malaria vaccine.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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Facts & Spin for April 13, 2023 top stories: Biden NI visit, Italian migrant emergency and rampant US gun violence

Facts & Spin for April 13, 2023 top stories: Biden urges Northern Ireland parties to restore power-sharing, Italy declares a state of emergency to tackle a surge in migrants, Russia says it won't 'tolerate' US pressure over a detained WSJ reporter, Macron outlines the need for 'European sovereignty,' four Indian soldiers are killed in a Punjab army base shooting, Deutsche Bank will reportedly close its IT operations in Russia, a survey finds one-in-five Americans have a family member killed by guns, Trump’s lawyer asks for a delay in a civil trial, NPR leaves Twitter and China reports the world’s first human bird flu death.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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April 12, 2023: 100 Myanmar aistrike deaths, major US-Philippines drills and Egypt’s alleged Russia support

Facts & Spin for April 12, 2023 top stories: Myanmar’s military is accused of killing 100 people in an airstrike, the Philippines and US launch their largest-ever joint military drills, leaked US documents suggest Egypt secretly planned to supply rockets to Russia, key lawmakers get access to classified documents found at Trump, Biden, Pence’s homes, the DNC says the 2024 Democratic National Convention will be held in Chicago, British and Australian lawmakers call on the US to drop its prosecution of Julian Assange, the mother of a 6-year-old who shot their teacher is indicted, Chinese tech giant Alibaba announces plans for a ChatGPT rival, the Biden admin. weighs possible rules for AI tools, and Britain names it first female intelligence, cyber, and security agency boss.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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April 11, 2023: Kentucky shooting, 400 adrift migrants and Saudi-Houthi peace talks

Facts & Spin for April 11, 2023 top stories: A shooting in Kentucky leaves four dead, A ship carrying 400 migrants goes adrift in the Mediterranean Sea, Ukraine alters its military plans following recent Pentagon leaks, A Saudi-Oman envoy meets with Houthi officials for peace talks, Iran and Saudi Arabia look set to reopen embassies, Expelled Tennessee lawmakers seek reappointments, A building collapse in Marseilles kills six, The Biden admin begins appealing last week’s abortion pill ruling, A court backs the firing of a teacher who wouldn’t used preferred names, and Fox News settles an election defamation lawsuit with a Venezuelan businessman.
Sources: https://www.improvethenews.org/
 
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April 8, 2023: Israel-Lebanon rocket fire, Clarence Thomas luxury trips and 236k more US jobs

Facts & Spin for April 8, 2023 top stories: Israel strikes Gaza and South Lebanon following rocket fire, SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas comes under fire for failing to disclose luxury trips, The Pentagon is reportedly investigating a Ukraine war plans leak, The latest US labor department report shows 236K jobs were added in March, The Biden admin defends the US Afghanistan withdrawal, Thousands flee to Thailand amid renewed fighting in Myanmar, Tesla workers are accused of sharing sensitive images recorded by customer cars, The US Supreme Court rules in favor of a transgender track runner, Ron DeSantis picks a finance director for his prospective presidential campaign, and Protesters in France storm the BlackRock investment company building.
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